Uniquely You at Ashurst Perkins Coie
Our bespoke training contract has been designed to provide you with the opportunities and skills needed to become a confident and competent legal professional. You will rotate around four different seats, each lasting six months, gaining invaluable experience in multiple areas of commercial law. You will spend one seat in our Global Loans or Global Markets practice, and one seat in one of our transactional practices. The additional two seats will be spent gaining experience across our broad range of practice areas, or on a client or international secondment.
On day one of your training contract, you will be introduced to your trainee buddy who will be on hand to support you while you settle into the firm and beyond. You will spend the first week taking part in a tailor-made induction, learning more about our firm, our practices and our expectations of you as a trainee. As you move into each seat, you will be taken through comprehensive training to prepare you for the six months ahead, along with a handover with your trainee predecessor. You will be paired with an experienced and dedicated supervisor who will support you as you grow in experience.
Our experienced Early Careers team will work with you throughout your training contract to ensure you are on the right trajectory for qualification. You will have direct access to our Learning and Development team, who are dedicated to ensuring you receive full and thorough training throughout your training contract.
Post-graduate sponsorship
All our future trainees attend the University of Law to complete post-graduate study. If you haven't yet completed a law degree, you will undertake the Post Graduate Diploma in Law (PGDL), which is a replacement of the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), before moving on to complete an LLM Legal Practice Course (SQE 1&2), which is unique to Ashurst and is a replacement of the previously known Legal Practice Course (LPC). We offer the following benefits to future joiners who have not yet completed post-graduate study:
Non-law students completing the PGDL will receive a bursary to study at the University of Law, along with a £12,000 maintenance grant (£10,200 if you study the PGDL at a University of Law campus outside London).
All students yet to complete the LLM Legal Practice Course (SQE 1&2) will receive a bursary to study at the University of Law, Moorgate branch, along with a £20,000 maintenance grant.
Interest-free loans of £2,000, repayable in instalments once you start your training contract.
What we can offer you
Keeping in touch
Once you receive an offer, you will join our network of Future Trainees and will be included in our Keeping in Touch Program, run by our Early Careers team and a committee of current trainees. You will be invited to attend bi-annual events and will be kept up to date with firm developments.
Quality training
You'll work alongside, and learn from, some of the most-talented professionals in the industry. From our dedicated Learning & Development team to our knowledgeable and experienced Expertise Lawyers, you will have access to quality and meaningful training throughout your training contract.
Inclusive culture
You’ll be part of a close-knit, diverse and ambitious cohort of trainee solicitors, and work first-hand with our energized and collaborative people who are prominent in their field. You'll have your voice heard and have the opportunity to champion change through our numerous diversity networks.
Secondment opportunities
Our global reach brings you the opportunity to spend six months of your training contract working in one of our international offices, with access to language lessons to support your experience. You will also have the opportunity to gain the unique and invaluable experience of spending six months working in house for one of our longstanding clients.
Trainee salary
First Year Salary: £60,000. Second Year Salary £65,000.
SMART Commitment
Ashurst Perkins Coie is a partner of the Aspiring Solicitors' Social Mobility and Real Talent ('SMART') Commitment initiative. The program supports incoming trainees from lower-socioeconomic backgrounds by providing funding for business attire and tech equipment needed ahead of joining. Participation is confidential and anonymous. Details on applying for support are given to successful Vacation Scheme candidates.
The recruitment process
Applications are open to finalists and graduates of all degree disciplines, as well as penultimate year law students. To qualify, you should be on track to achieve a 2.1 in your undergraduate degree.
If you haven't met this criterion and there are mitigating circumstances, there will be an opportunity for you to provide us with this information on your application.
Our online application form allows you to showcase your talent, your passion for the industry and your knowledge of our firm. You will have the opportunity to share your insights into the legal industry and more details about yourself.
Note:
You cannot apply for both a vacation scheme and a training contract in the same recruitment window. We would ask that you only apply for one opportunity during the recruitment window. If you complete a vacation scheme with us, you will be interviewed for a training contract at the end of the scheme.
After the application closing date, we will ask you to complete an online assessment. The assessment measures a range of critical reasoning and behavioral strengths that align to a trainee role at Ashurst Perkins Coie. The assessment has been designed to give you a realistic preview into life at our firm and the types of scenarios you might experience as a trainee.
While we recommend completing the online assessment in one sitting, it is untimed so you can complete it at your own pace. It will take around 60 minutes to complete, and you will have 7 days to complete the test once from the time you receive the link. Once completed, you’ll be sent an individual feedback report outlining your key strengths and development areas.
You can learn about the types of questions you may be asked in the assessment here. Please note that if you do not complete the test within the specified time, we will be unable to progress your application.
If you meet the requirements of the online tests and application, you may be invited to book a place at an online assessment centre. You will complete a written case study facilitated by a member of the Early Careers team. This exercise is designed to evaluate your analytical and problem-solving skills.
The telephone interview gives you the opportunity to showcase your skills and understanding of a career in commercial law.
If you reach the benchmark at the assessment center, you will be invited to the final stage, which involves attending an in-person assessment day at our office. During this stage, you will meet current trainees for a Q&A session and take part in a guided tour of the office to learn more about Ashurst Perkins Coie. The process includes a group exercise to assess your teamwork, collaboration, and further analytical and problem-solving skills, as well as an interview with an Associate and a member of the Early Careers team.
We are committed to making all stages of our recruitment process accessible to candidates with disabilities or long-term health conditions. If you consider yourself to have a disability or a long-term health condition, please feel able to be open about this at any point during the recruitment process. If you are not sure what adjustments you require, we will work with you to establish the most-suitable adjustments at each stage of the recruitment process. Please note that our online application form includes a section that allows you to advise us of any extenuating circumstances that are relevant for us to consider when reviewing your application form.
If you would like to talk to a member of the team in relation to any queries you may have on your disability or long-term health condition and the recruitment process, please get in touch. Any information disclosed on your disability will remain strictly confidential.
Key dates
Applications for our Direct Training Contract 2028/2029 have now closed. Our application open date for our Direct Training Contract 2029/2030 is TBC.
Events
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Come and meet us!
Read moreCome and meet us!
Legal Cheek | Why non-law students make great Lawyers (Virtual event)
2 June 2026 | 4pm – 6pm | How to RegisterForage - read two of our future trainees' experience of Ashurst Perkins Coie's virtual work experience
Commercial Awareness and Legal Tech - Saba Nasrolahi
"Commercial Awareness needs to be grown organically so that you are able to use it practically and genuinely"
Read more
Trainee Insights by Kelsey Reid-Jones
Kelsey discusses her journey to Ashurst Perkins Coie and life as a member of the Global Loans team.
Read moreTestimonials
"Ashurst Perkins Coie is a place where high-calibre work and high-quality clients are a given. As a bonus, I have had the opportunity to work in an innovative, collaborative environment with peers and seniors who have become not only my friends but my mentors."
Marisa, Trainee Solicitor 2023
"The work has been great and I've definitely had some interesting experiences on the program, such as attending a settlement meeting in the Cheesegrater building! The culture... also really makes it stand out for me. One highlight is the annual Mardi Gras drag show event held here at the office, which is always super fun and really shines a light on the firm's diverse and inclusive culture."
Alexandra, Trainee Solicitor 2023
Early Careers podcast mini-series
Tom Segev
In our debut episode, trainee Tom shares his journey to joining the trainee program. From studying history at the University of Warwick to working at a music label, Tom details his decision-making process between pursuing music law and commercial law, and along the way highlights how he navigated these choices.
Divya Deivanayagam & Aoife Weir
Junior associates Aoife and Divya share their enriching experiences of international and client trainee secondments. They explain the secondment process , with Aoife working at BP in the gas and low carbon energy team, and Divya experiencing life in Ashurst Perkins Coie’s Tokyo office.
Saba Nasrolahi
In the third episode, final seat trainee Saba Nasrolahi shares her insights and personal experiences applying the crucial skill of commercial awareness in both her application and early career work experience at the firm.
Khadija Patel & Nick Hwong
In this episode, trainees Khadija and Nick bring a host of insights and tips to help those considering a career in commercial law navigate their way through the competitive world of legal training applications.
Applicant Resource Hub
For answers to all of your FAQs and information on application and interview tips, the benefits we provide, life at Ashurst Perkins Coie, our L&D programs and our commitments to diversity, inclusion, and opportunity for all.
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Diversity, Inclusion & Opportunity
We have deep and enduring commitments to diversity, inclusion, and opportunity for all.
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If you can’t find answers to your questions on this page or on the Applicant Resource Hub then please contact our Early Careers team.
Agencies
Agency submissions and candidate introductions will only be accepted with prior approval from a member of the Ashurst Perkins Coie Talent Acquisition team. To submit or introduce a candidate, an agency must have valid agreed terms of business in place with Ashurst Perkins Coie. Any agency submissions or candidate introductions made without prior approval or without the agreed terms of business in place will be considered invalid.
Privacy Policy UK
Ashurst Perkins Coie is committed to protecting your privacy. For more information on how we collect and use your data during the recruitment process for Early Careers opportunities in the UK, please visit our Early Careers UK Privacy Policy.